


I'd Rather Finish My Tea

by meakh



Category: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (TV)
Genre: F/M, Knalice - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-09
Packaged: 2018-01-04 00:44:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meakh/pseuds/meakh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What's the greatest thing you've ever stolen?" "I'm beginning to think I haven't stolen it yet." In which the Knave gets wounded and Alice has to postpone her search for Cyrus in order to nurse him back to health. Slightly darker Knave/Alice. Short chapter fic. Will post every day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Also stole a line from the new Colin Farrell movie trailer I can't remember the name of. I liked it. Sue me.

~~~ _OUATIW~~~_  


 

"Alice," he mumbled, his face nestled against her neck. "Alice," was all he said over and over again. Sometimes like he was in pain, sometimes like he was dreaming. 

"We're almost there, Knave. Just a little further," Alice panted, then stumbled and braced herself for the impact. But instead the person she thought she was supporting held her firm. It was then she felt them, the tiny fluttering kisses on her neck. Down her throat. On the curve of her ear. "Oh god,"

And like that she was pressed against a tree. Her legs spread by his knees. His lips sought hers by incremental kisses along her jaw. "I need you, Alice."

"Knave, stop," she pushed against his chest. He fell back with a cry, leaving behind blood on her hands. He looked down at himself for a moment, then back at her, a delirious light in her eyes, before collapsing on the ground.

Alice fell to her knees beside his body, pulled his head onto her lap, brushed her fingers over his ashen white face, then looked down to the all too-red blood pooling outside of his chest as it rose and fell with shallow breaths. He shouldn't be alive, with that arrow in his heart. A dark suspicion washed over her, but she set it aside for later. Because there would most definitely be a later. Later, when he would open his eyes and say 'boody hell' and explain to her exactly why he wasn't dead.

And how the hell he was able to get her necklace back from the Caterpillar. 

 

~~~ _OUATIW_ ~~~

 


	2. Trust

~~~ _OUATIW~~~_  


_Cyrus Cyrus Cyrus. He was sick to bloody death of the name. He was also sick of risking his life for a bloody genie with phenomenal cosmic powers at his fingertips who was, in all likelihood, sitting on his arse waiting for his girlfriend to rescue him. Yes, he knew it was irrational of him, but deep down in his bones the Knave knew the man was a ponce. He was also sure Alice didn't find anything at all in that situation to bother her or make Cyrus any less appealing of a man. Bloody Victorian feminism at it's best. But the Knave had other ideas of what made a man deserving of such faithfulness. And being a ponce did not make him worthy of the level of devotion Alice showed him._

_It was just her nature, he told himself. She got fixated on ideas and wouldn't stop shouting, kicking or waving her sword about until the world said 'okay, bloody fine, you win'. She was going to get Cyrus back come hell or high water and she was going to live happily ever after if it killed her. Or him, for that matter. And the Knave was pretty sure his number had just come up._

_"The Forget-Me-Knot for the jewel around your neck," The Caterpillar sneered as Alice's hands protecively grasped the shining red orb. Standing next to her the Knave watched her face pale and saw the militant light spring into her eyes._

_So, he thought, that's not going to be an option then._

_"There has to be something else," he said turning back to the Caterpillar, "That jem is worthless to anyone_ not _in love with a bloke named Cyrus."_

_"Nevertheless," the Caterpillar trailed off in a cloud of smoke._

_Bloody hell, he thought for the millionth time since the White Rabbit had first come to him in Storybrook to insist that_ he _of all people needed to be the one to break_ into _an asylum and deliver that stupid message. He'd only agreed because it was Alice. He owed Alice. Knave though he be, he paid his debts._

_So knowing now just as he did then that he would regret his next actions till the end of time, he turned to Alice, simply shrugging his shoulders at her agonized whisper 'no'._

_"It's the only way, love." He moved to stand in front of her so the Caterpillar couldn't see his face. "Trust me," he whispered. Smat girl that she was, Alice took the cue and reached around her neck to unfasten the chain. She dropped it in his palm, her eyes pleading with him. Bloody hell was he ever going to regret this._

_"Alright, he said turning back to the Caterpillar, "One bloody useless glow-in-the-dark rock in exchange for the Forget-Me-Knot. We have a deal, yes?"_

_~~~OUATIW~~~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review :)


	3. Dirt

  
**~~~** _OUATIW_ **~~~**   


 

She came in the door carrying and armful of firewood. He watched her beneath hooded eyes as she dropped the logs by the hearth and stirred the burning coals, teasing the fire back to life. She wiped her dirty hands on that pretty blue dress and his first coherent thought was that he wished he could do something about that. The dress or the dirt, he wasn’t quite sure which he meant. Maybe he wasn’t as lucid as he thought.

He closed his eyes again. His head hurt. His eyes burned. His mouth was as dry as a desert at high noon. He swallowed and coughed, which brought the sharp pain in his chest to the forefront of his attention. “Bloody hell,”

“You’re awake,” Alice’s soft voice carried from across the room. She didn’t rush to his side like like Florence Nightingale would have and he couldn’t even tell if she sounded relieved or disappointed. 

“Water?” his hoarse voice chocked out before he coughed again. Alice came, sitting herself on the edge of the bed he was lying on, and held a cup to his lips. He tried to raise his arm, but he was as weak as a kitten. A cool hand pressed against his forehead and he sighed, licking his cracked lips. 

“You’re fever broke last night,” Alice’s sweet voice wafted across his half-conscious mind. “You’ve been out for three days.” 

“Mmm,” he hummed, not particularly interested, and settled back down onto the pillow. It had been so long since he’d slept in a proper bed. Much longer since he’d shared it with someone else.

“Knave.” The sharpness in Alice’s voice rocked him out of the dream he was about to fall in to. 

“It’s Will,” he growled. An irrational anger shook his body. She couldn’t stop saying that sodding genie’s name for days, but when it came to him she could only call him by a bloody title he didn’t have anymore and never wanted in the first place. 

There was an uncomfortable pressure on his left shoulder and he became aware of the warm body his arms had snaked around. It was trying to push him away. 

Reluctantly he let go. 

He opened his eyes once again. Alice had stood up and was turned away from him. He sighed again. “Three days you say?” He winced pushing himself  up with his elbows and looked around the room. How the bloody hell had they gotten all the way back to the Hatter’s cottage? 

“Is there anything to eat?” He asked becoming acutely aware of his empty stomach. 

“Just some old biscuits,” Alice answered, moving quickly across to a table, “And I found some tea,” 

The Knave rolled his eyes, “Of course you found some bloody tea.” He groaned as he shifted to sit up a little more, “You could be blind as a bat and still find some bloody tea in this place.”        

 

  
**~~~** _OUATIW_ **~~~**   



	4. Curious

  
**~~~** _OUATIW_ **~~~**   


 

_“I thought you had a plan.”_

_“That was the plan,” the Knave said turning around to look at Alice, but still walking backwards._

_Don’t stop._

_Keep moving._

_That was important._

_“And it worked, see?” He lifted his shoulder indicating the heavy rope he carried. “We’ve got the Forget-Me-Knot and neither of us are dead. I don’t know about you, but I call that a win in my book.”_

_“But my pendant!” The Knave rolled his eyes, “I need it to find Cyrus.” Alice insisted petulantly._

_“You also need_ this _to find Cyrus, yes? And it’s not like we had anything else to trade with besides our heads and I like mine exactly where it is, thank you very much,” He saw the sadness begin to creep back into her eyes and he felt that cavity in his chest constrict. If he cared one way or the other about finding Cyrus it was most definitely the Other. But he had a wish to make and a promise to fulfill._

_If there was one thing he’d learned in the past few days spent traipsing all over bloody Wonderland following Alice’s boot heels was that she’d changed. That determined little girl who’d once turned Wonderland on its head had transformed into a veritable termagant. And as little as he relished the idea of witnessing their reunion, the Knave also had a grim desire to see what would happen the first time the clueless genie tried telling her what to do._

_“Look,” he said grabbing Alice’s hand and pulling her to a halt. Her fingers flexed and gripped his hand lightly. It was a small, probably unconscious movement, but one that made his damned hollow chest ache. “Okay, close your eyes for a minute.”_

_He was inordinately pleased by the curious look she gave him with no hint of wariness or suspicion before following his instruction. That was the way she’d always looked before all the... horrible things happened. Curious. Always curious. It had almost gotten her killed._

_With his free hand the Knave reached into his jacket pocket._

_Alice screamed._

 

  
**~~~** _OUATIW_ **~~~**  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who reads this!

**Author's Note:**

> Each part will not be very long, but if you review I promise to update every day.


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